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| Weekly Roundup |
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The latest news from the State Capitol |
Susquehanna County Concealed Carry Seminar Set for Oct. 26
I am offering a Concealed Carry Seminar on Thursday, Oct. 26, at Hallstead/Great Bend Rod and Gun Club, 3340 Dubois St. Hallstead.
The seminar will feature Susquehanna County District Attorney Robert Klein and Susquehanna County Sheriff Lance Benedict. They will include information about how recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions affect the Second Amendment rights of citizens.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the seminar will run from 6-9 p.m.
Due to space limitations, those planning to attend are required to RSVP in advance. There is no fee to attend. To register, visit RepFritz.com, or call my Montrose district office at (570) 278-3374.
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Work Requirements for Welfare Recipients
To help contain escalating costs for the state’s Medical Assistance (MA) program, the House recently approved legislation that would allow for work or work-search requirements for able-bodied individuals receiving MA benefits. Work requirements are already in place for food stamp and cash assistance programs.
As part of House Bill 59, the Department of Human Services would be required to design work or work-search requirements for those who do not have a qualifying disability, are not pregnant and are not elderly. The federal government would have to approve such requirements.
Another provision in the bill would require the department to see additional cost savings before seeking any more from the state’s General Fund.
Medical Assistance is one of the largest cost-drivers in the $32 billion state budget, accounting for 29 percent.
The bill, which is headed for the governor’s desk, faces an uncertain future. The governor has vowed to veto the bill.
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Preventing Fires in Your Home
To help prevent residential fires, October has been designated across the nation as a time to remind people of fire dangers in their homes and communities, as well as to educate the public about simple fire prevention steps to make everyone safer.
House Resolution 546 designates October as Pennsylvania Fire Prevention Month, and also marks Oct. 8-14 as National Fire Prevention Week.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme -- “Every Second Counts: Plan Two Ways Out!” -- seeks to remind people to have an escape plan that includes at least two exits in the event one of those exits is blocked by fire.
The National Fire Prevention Association also encourages families to practice their home fire drill twice a year, once at night and once during the day, and to practice using different ways out.
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Raising Awareness of Domestic Violence
To help raise greater awareness of the dangers of domestic violence, House Resolution 525 officially designates October Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Pennsylvania.
One in every four women and one in every nine men will experience domestic violence in his or her lifetime, with nearly 1.3 million women and 835,000 men being physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States. It affects people from all racial, ethnic, religious, educational, social and economic backgrounds.
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior within an intimate relationship that is used by one partner to gain power or control over the other partner. It takes on many forms, including abuse, harassment, threats, vandalism, trespassing, burglary, theft and stalking.
It often escalates, causing victims to suffer physical and emotional trauma, anxiety, stress, sleep deprivation and fear, as well as injury or death by suicide or homicide.
Domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes, and fewer than 20 percent of victims who report an injury from an intimate partner seek medical treatment following the injury.
To find out more about domestic violence programs and support, visit pcadv.org.
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Veterans Can Get New Photo ID Cards
Under a federal law passed in 2015, all honorably discharged veterans of every era will be able to receive a photo ID card from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), starting in November. This will allow veterans to prove their service without showing a copy of their official DD 214 discharge documents.
The law, known as the Veterans Identification Card Act 2015, orders the VA to issue a hard-copy photo ID to any honorably discharged veteran who applies. The card must contain the veteran’s name, photo and a non-Social Security identification number.
Veterans may apply for the free card online, but a timeline for how long it will take to receive a card after application has not been finalized. Other details are not yet available.
In Pennsylvania, veterans can apply for a specially designated driver’s license under Act 176 of 2012. More information is available here.
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PA Voter Hall of Fame
This week, the Wayne County Board of Elections honored several residents of Wayne County as inductees to the PA Voter Hall of Fame. All recipients have voted 50 consecutive years in November elections.
This year’s inductees include Clayton Crum, Marie Drobnicki, Helen Estus, Donald Guida, Sally Hawley, Jean Marie Matoushek, Susan Springer and Louis Welch.
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| Office Locations |
| 16501 State Route 706, Suite 2, Montrose, PA 18801 | Phone: 570-278-3374 |
| 32 Commercial Street, Suite 300, Honesdale, PA 18431 | 570-253-5533 |
414 Irvis Office, PO Box 202111, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2111
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| Email Address: JFritz@pahousegop.com |
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